


Long and Hard is the WOAD that out of Hell ....

by Devilc



Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: Gen, Laundrylist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-11
Updated: 2010-01-11
Packaged: 2017-10-06 04:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devilc/pseuds/Devilc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noah Barnett hits his breaking point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long and Hard is the WOAD that out of Hell ....

**Author's Note:**

> Written for fnl_laundrylist challenge #19, prompt 7  _What's Noah gonna do now that he's in the middle of a scandal?_
> 
> (Frankly, I was a bit dismayed that this was never followed up on at all during Season 2. )

When Tami Taylor went off half-cocked and unloaded on him, after a certain point Noah Barnett simply shut his mouth and silently repeated "WOAD, WOAD, WOAD" to himself. It didn't exactly turn her words into water off a duck, because he felt that rage flare white hot deep inside.

It did keep him from reaching out and shaking her like a rag doll ~~like she deserved~~.

And then he realized the door was open.

Fuck-a-doodle-doo.

WOAD WOAD WOAD.

~oo(0)oo~

He heard about Julie Taylor marching into her mother's office and melting down.

WOAD WOAD WOAD.

~oo(0)oo~

He's prepping for class  alone at a table in the teacher's lounge, because apparently he's got the plague now (WOADWOADWOADWOAD)  when he realizes he's left his xerox copy of Douglas Rushkoff's "The Dark Side of Reality TV" from Discover Magazine on the floor of his car, so he sets off to retrieve it.

It's 

They've 

Somebody has 

_There isn't enough WOAD in the world for this_.

He spins on his heel, marches back into the office building, bangs twice on Tami's door and marches in.

"What are you ? You can't ! Tim and I are  How _dare_ you!" She leaps to her feet, sputtering with rage.

Noah jumps for joy inwardly when he realizes it's _Tim Riggins_ in the room with her. He pastes on an ear to ear grin and says loud enough for the whole office to hear, "Hey, just checking that you're not having a nooner with Tim here. Boy's a cougar if you know what I mean."

He's about to duck back out when Tim says, "I'm not a cougar, Mr. B. it's only if she's really hot." His eyes flick to Tami and back. "And single."

Tami looks back and forth between them, rage vying with bafflement. "What's a cougar?" she asks, swiftly followed by "And you are way out of line, Noah, way out of line."

Icy calm rage fills him to the brim. "Maybe. Pot, kettle, black." He crosses his arms and leans against the door jamb. "I mean, I might as well get the gossip mills spreading something nasty about you."

She puts her hands on her hips. "Oh, is that what this is about?"

"No, it's about the bill for a repaint on my car that's going to be hitting your desk soon."

"What?!"

His voice drops to a low hiss, "Your _oh so professional conduct_ has led to somebody vandalizing my car. To the tune of 'pervert' in big blue letters on the hood."

"Oh man," Tim groans softly.

"Tim," Tami says in a soft voice, "you can go now."

"No, Tim," Noah says, clapping a hand on his shoulder and pushing down slightly, "I think you can stay, because I'd like a witness, because God knows how this could get spun with me and Tami here in the room alone. This is not going to become a 'he said-she said.' I'm here to tell you that you are going to pay to repaint my car  _at the body shop of my choice_  and in turn I won't go to the school board about your accusations, or about your threat to have me beaten up."

Tami's mouth works silently for a few seconds and then she sits down, head in hands. "I'm sorry."

He sucks in a deep breath and says softly, "You know, your daughter's not the only student who has a crush on me.

"I think she's got great potential as a writer. She's funny, and bright, and strong willed, and witty, and the kind of student I dreamed about having show up in one of my classes. She's the kind of student that makes teaching such a joy. And ... I also think she's very lost and confused and lonely and needs an adult to turn to for guidance _who isn't her parent_. All these other students, they can turn to you, if they choose, to tell things they'd never dream of telling their folks, or to get advice from an adult who has an outside perspective. So tell me, who does Julie turn to here at school for that? _Where's the guidance counselor who isn't her mother?_"

A long pause follows.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And now, thanks to _you_ it's not going to be me, not the way I thought. Because from here on out, there's always going to be whispers following me and following Julie." He puts on a falsely cheery tone, "And Tim, after I leave, tell her what a cougar is, and then come by my room and I'll show you what Ben Franklin had to say about that."

"Um ... okay, Mr. B," Tim replies in that slow, quiet way of his. "And, thanks for helping me with that paper about my sojourn."

"De nada," Noah says, and shuts the door.

He heads back to his room and WOADs his way back into his lesson plan.

It's still going to be a crappy day.

(WOAD WOAD WOAD.)


End file.
